Australia 1920 (S) Penny (Indian Obverse)

Mint:	Sydney	Mintage:	Part 146,160 Estimate 50,000	Milling:	Plain
Weight:	9.45 grams	Diameter:	30.8 mm	Composition:	97% Copper, 2.5% Zinc, 0.5% Tin

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Obverse 2 - Indian (Calcutta)

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Reverse C - Calcutta

Designer:	Sir (Edgar) Bertram Mackennal (Initials 'B.M.' raised on truncation)
Design:	Left facing profile of George V
Legend:	GEORGIVS V D. G. BRITT: OMN: REX F. D. IND: IMP: •
Denticle Count:	178 teeth
Mint mark:	None
Characteristics:	Upstroke on 'N' of 'OMN' aligns with denticle

Designer:	William Henry James Blakemore (no attribution)
Design:	'ONE PENNY' surrounded by 90 beads contained within concentric circles
Legend:	• COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA •
Denticle Count:	179 teeth
Mint mark:	None
Characteristics:	Apex of first 'A' of 'AUSTRALIA' falls between two denticles Apex of second 'A' of 'AUSTRALIA' falls between two denticles Apex of last 'A' of 'AUSTRALIA' falls between two denticles Straight based letters in the legend

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Value

BM Ad NP	8 Good VG10	10 VG F12	12 about F F15	15 Fine VF20	20 good F VF25	25 about VF VF30	30 Very Fine VF35	35 good VF EF40	40 about EF EF45	45 Ext Fine AU50	50 good EF AU53	53 about Unc AU55	58+ virt Unc AU58	58-60 Uncirc MS60	58-61 Uncirc MS61	58-62 Uncirc MS62	63-64 Choice Unc MS63	64-65 near Gem MS64	65-66 Gem MS65	66-67 Gem MS66	67-68 Gem MS67	68 near Flaw MS68	69 virt Flaw MS69	70 Flawless MS70	Proof
B	$30 + NGC PCGS	$40 + NGC PCGS	$50 + NGC 5 PCGS 2	$75 + NGC PCGS 4	$100 + NGC PCGS 6	$125 + NGC 15 PCGS 6	$175 + NGC PCGS 6	$250 + NGC 1 PCGS 7	$500 + NGC 5 PCGS 2	$750 + NGC PCGS 2	$1250 + NGC PCGS 1	$1500 + NGC 2 PCGS 1	$3000 + NGC PCGS 4	$4000 + NGC PCGS	$5000 + NGC 1 PCGS 1	$6000 + NGC 2 PCGS	$10000 + NGC PCGS 1	$20000 + NGC 1 PCGS	$40000 + NGC PCGS	$80000 + NGC PCGS	$175000 + NGC PCGS	- + NGC PCGS	- + NGC PCGS	- + NGC PCGS	Y
RB	" + NGC PCGS	" + NGC PCGS	" + NGC PCGS	" + NGC PCGS	" + NGC PCGS	" + NGC PCGS	" + NGC PCGS	" + NGC PCGS	" + NGC PCGS	$1500 + NGC PCGS	$1750 + NGC PCGS	$4000 + NGC PCGS	$5000 + NGC PCGS	$6000 + NGC PCGS	$7500 + NGC PCGS	$12500 + NGC PCGS	$25000 + NGC 2 PCGS 2	$50000 + NGC PCGS 1 1	$90000 + NGC 2 PCGS 1	$175000 + NGC PCGS	$250000 + NGC PCGS	- + NGC PCGS	- + NGC PCGS	- + NGC PCGS	Y
R	" + NGC PCGS	" + NGC PCGS	" + NGC PCGS	" + NGC PCGS	" + NGC PCGS	" + NGC PCGS	" + NGC PCGS	" + NGC PCGS	" + NGC PCGS	" + NGC PCGS	" + NGC PCGS	" + NGC PCGS	$6000 + NGC PCGS	$7500 + NGC PCGS	$12500 + NGC PCGS	$25000 + NGC PCGS	$50000 + NGC PCGS	$90000 + NGC PCGS	$175000 + NGC PCGS	$250000 + NGC PCGS	- + NGC PCGS	- + NGC PCGS	- + NGC PCGS	- + NGC PCGS	Y

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Benchmark

Adjectival

NGC/PCGS

Collectable grades

Does not exist by definition

Investment grades

Unlikely to exist

Aspirational grades

Bullion or metal value

Not known in these grades

Value as above

Proof

Y (Yes)
N (Not known)

Last updated February 2020

Notes:

The ceremonial striking of the 'first official' pennies by the Sydney Mint in October, 1920 was almost certainly the 1920 'Plain' variety, as it seems inconceivable that coins presented to dignitaries would be less than perfect examples, devoid of all unauthorised experimental markings. The survival of so few 1920 'Plain' pennies in mint state, points to the entire mintage being Sydney-struck, and probably the product of one die. This die would not have been retired after the ceremony as it was common practice for production to continue until a die was exhausted, and perhaps another 50,000 coins were struck and released into circulation.

There is a common perception that the 1920 'Plain' Penny is easily found in low grade, but these poor examples are markedly different from the coins surviving in better grade. They have a concavity in the reverse strike that can best be described as a wave, ie in the central design, the fields appear sunken against 'ONE PENNY' and the scrolls. The two explanations are: the unlikely proposition that the Melbourne Mint suddenly abandoned marking its production with a dot below the bottom scroll and then went on to strike large numbers of 'plain' pennies; or, more probably, that the 1920 'Plain' Penny in most average circulated collections is a Melbourne-struck 1920 //. (Indian obverse) Penny struck on a filled die with little or no evidence of a mint mark. It should also be noted that the 1920 'Plain' Penny has straight based letters in the reverse legend, whereas most of the 1920 //. (Indian Obverse) pennies exhibit slight curvature. If there is any evidence of curvature at the base of letters in the reverse legend then the coin must be a 1920 //. (Indian obverse) Penny, as this was the only 1920 penny variety exhibiting this trait.

In 1996 Noble Numismatics sold a 1920 'Plain' Penny, reputedly ex the collection of A.M. Le Soueff, a past Deputy Master of the Melbourne Mint. This coin was described as a " Melbourne Mint Penny, 1920, selected specimen striking from dies (derived from the Indian master dies) that were subsequently marked with a dot above the lower scroll." It has been argued that the presence of this coin in Le Soueff's collection is evidence that the 1920 'Plain' Penny is Melbourne-struck. However, it seems logical that all the 'experimental' penny dies sent to Sydney would have been tested by the Melbourne Mint before their dispatch, and that he would have had access to a coin from these trials. Alternatively, Le Soueff may have picked up the coin in Sydney when he was seconded to the Sydney Mint to supervise its closure in 1926.